Means for equalizing the distribution of cotton in cotton-boxes.



PATENTED JULY 7, 1903.

M. A-.STEPHBNSON.

MEANS FOR EQUALIZING THE DISTRIBUTION OF COTTON IN COTTON BOXES.

- APPLICATION FILED DBO. 26, 1901,

no MODEL.

.5 I l V I \5 U s 1 UNITED STATES iatented July i, 1903.

PATENT OFFI MIN RALLEN STEPHENSON, OF TAYLOR, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR i. OEONE-HALF TO THEODORE AUGUST BRANDES, "OF TAYLOR, TEXAS.

MEANSFOREQUAUZ ING THE DISTRIBUTION OF COTTON IN COTTON-BOXES;

SPECTFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 732,969, dated July i,1903. Application filed December 26, 1901. Serial No. 87,159. (Nomodel.)

T 00% whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MINER ALLEN STEPHEN- SON,a citizen of the UnitedStates of America,

and a resident of Taylor, county of William- This invention relates toan improved ap-' paratus for evenly distributing cotton conveyedbyair-draft elevators from a depository thereof to a series ofcotton-boxes, so that each box may receive its proper supply, or forshifting a surplus from one or more stands to others in the same serieslacking a supply; p

Another purpose of the invention is to relieve a jam or choked conditionin the hue or elevator-shaft, for it often happens that there is astoppage of the cotton in transit through the flues, such stoppagetaking place from some unknown cause, which results in a congestiontaking place at that point,choking the flue so that the air-currentceases, and under these circumstances it becomes more or less difficultto remove the jam, and often much time is lost and power wasted. Amongthe advantages of the improvement which might be mentioned isconsequently that of smoothness and ease in the running of themachinery, which is equivalent to a gain in power estimated at not lessthan twenty-five per cent.

The invention therefore consists, essentially, in the construction,arrangement, and combination of the various parts, substantially as willbe hereinafter described, and then more fully pointed out in thefollowing claims. e p

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my invention, Figure 1 isaside elevation of a series of cottonegin stands 'With the elevatorair-fines traversing the upper extremities of the cotton-boxes andclearly indicates the application of my present improvements forregulating the supply of cotton that passes into the cotton-boxes. Fig.2 is a horizontal sectional plan view of the air-fines and indi catestheir positions relatively to each other. Fig. 3 is an enlargedcross-sectional detail,

and Fig. 4 is a sectional perspective of the to a modern cotton-elevatorby which cotton is conveyed from a vehicle-body without the building orfrom some depository or storage place to be fed to the gins.

1 denotes the cotton-boxes, being in the main of a common and well-knownconstruction, consisting simply of rectangular boxes of suitable width,depth, and height, and situated in a suitable position. Thesecotton-boxes 1 are seated upon the gin-stands 2, that contain thegin-saws whereby the cotton lint is separated from the seed, the lintbeing conveyed to a condenser to be baled, while the seed is droppedbehind the ginstands and driven by an air-blast into the storage-room;but it will be understood, of course, that I lay no particular claim onthe form or function of the gin-stands and their gin-saws.

At the right-hand end of the apparatus shown iuFigs. 1 and 2 is afan-casing 3, con taining a suitablefanoperated bya steam-engine orother source of power for the purpose of creating an air-draft throughthe elevatorflues 4t and 5. These fiues for a certain portion of theirlength lie alongside of each other in a horizontal position at the topof the cottonboXes 1,as shown in Figs. 1 and 2,it being noted that theflue t alone connects with the fancasing 3, while the flue 5 alone leadsaway from the gin-stands upward and outward until it reaches andcommunicates with the cotrectangular form closed on the bottom, at

each end, and on one of the sides and open on the other side and on thetop, said other side being covered by a wire-gauze screen 7.. A box 6 islocated behind each cotton-box 1 in too such a manner that thewire-gauze 7 fills an opening into the gin-stand 1, while the open topof box 6 opens into the i'nterior'of the fine 4 through an opening inthe bottom of said fine. The position and arrangement of said box 6 areindicated very clearly in Figs. 3 and 4 as well as in Fig. 2. Hencethere is a point of communication between lines 4 and 5 behind each ofthe gin-stands, and this communication is through the wire-gauze 7, bymeans of which the current of air is allowed to pass from flue 5 to flue4; but while the air is admitted the cotton is excluded, so that thecotton is retained in the flue 5 at the top of each cotton-box, fromwhich it is permitted to drop toward the bottom thereof. Of course itwill be understood that the several stands are open at the top into theflue 5. By an arrangement like this the air-draft is maintained from thecotton-storage room or a wagon which may be unloaded to the fan at 3,while the cotton is arrested when it arrives at the open upper end ofthe gin-stand box, and thus allowed to drop by gravity into said box.

. In the sides of each gin-stand box 1, near the upper end thereof andadjacent to the gauze-screen 7, is an opening 8, provided with a slidingdoor or gate 9 for partially or wholly closing the opening when desired.The movement of this gate is effected by means of a lever 10, pivoted tothe side of the gin-box 1 at the point 12, and likewise pivoted at 13 toa link 11, the other end of which is pivoted at 14 to the gate 9. Thefunction of this gatecontrolled opening 8 is as follows: Should there bea surplus of cotton in a box or if a box is too full while others to theright thereof are too scantily supplied, the opening 8 may be opened bysliding the gate 5 downward more or less, the result of which will be toallow a current of air to enter the cotton-box from without, and thiswill cause the surplus of cottonin said box to be lifted out of it andwaf ted onward through the flue 5 to the other box. Should but a smallpart of the surplus cotton be desired to be removed, the gate or door 9would be drawn downward only a little way and the cotton then would beremoved to a level in the box even with the top of the depressed gate.Should it be desired to fill up a box which is intermediate in theseries from any one preceding it, it would only be necessary to closethe gate of the box to be filled and open the gate of the box from whichcotton is to be taken. These gatecontrolled openings are of particularvalue in destroying a jam in the flue, which jam clogs and injures thecorrect working of the apparatus. Suppose a jam occurs in fine 5, justat the left of the first gin-stand 1, a jam consisting of a collectionor aggregation of cotton crowded or congested together into a hard andalmost immovable knot. In the absence of my present improvement thissolidified cotton could only be removed with great difficulty, for thecurrent of air which is being drawn in by the fan 3 would have to bestopped and the work of the apparatus suspended until the obstructioncould be removed, thus causing loss of time and seriously straining themachinery. With my present improvement, however, the opening of the gate9 will set up a current of air from without, which will act upon theinner or advancing side of the congested cotton, carrying it gentlyaway, and thus obviating the trouble. Without my improvements it oftenhappens that some of the cotton-boxes are empty while one or more may befilled to a greater or less extent, and thus a certain quantity ofcotton in the process of ginning is not finished until the lastgin-stand is emptied, some of the gin-stands being thus compelled to runempty for a considerable time; but with my improvements, whereby theproper distribution of the cotton is of fected, it is supplied evenly inall the stands and is ginned out in all of them at once, thus saving thetime that would be wasted in running empty gins.

I am aware of Letters Patentgranted to S. D. Murray for an apparatus forfeeding seedcotton to gins, No. 488,446, dated December 20, 1892, and donot intend herein to claim anything set forth and described in saidpatent.

Numerous changes in the exact construction and arrangement of thevarious parts may be made without departing from the true intent andscope of my invention as embraced in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, 15* 1 1. In a cotton-ginning apparatus, thecombination with a fine for delivering cotton thereto, of a cotton-boxprovided with an opening thereon for the purpose of admitting air inorder to shift cotton contained between the opening and the flue fromone gin to another.

2. In a cotton-ginning apparatus, the combination of the gin-stands anda flue or flues for delivering cotton thereto, and means consisting of abox for supplying the air-blast at the top of each gin-stand, therebeing a gate-controlled opening in each gin-stand for admitting air inorder to shift cotton contained between the opening and the flue fromone gin to the other and thus prevent clogging.

3. In combination with a flue for furnishing an air-blast whereby cottonmay be delivered to a cotton-ginning apparatus, a flue for supplyingcotton, a series of gin-stands having openings provided with covers ordoors, which openings admit air in order to shift cotton containedbetween the opening and the flue from one gin to another.

4. The combination .of the gin-stands having gate-controlled openings toadmit air in order to shift cotton contained between the opening and theflues from one gin to another,

a pair of flues, one connected with the fan and contained between theopening and the flue the other with the cotton-supply, there being fromone gin to another, a door or gate for screen-covered passages betweenthe fines atsaid opening, and suitable means for operatthe top of eachstand, said stands opening ing it.

5 into thefiue that leads from the cotton-supply. Signed at Taylor this27th day of Novem- I 5 5. The combination with a flue or fines ber,1901.

through which cotton is supplied by means of MINER ALLEN STEPHENSDN. anair-blast, a series of gin-stands each hav- Witnesses:

ing near its upper end an opening for the pur- MINOR H. BROWN,

1o pose of admitting air in order to shift cotton P. O. WILLSON.

